Doha - 5th March - The 2011 UIM World F1H2o Championship kicked off with a brilliant opening round, particularly if you are a Qatari fan. Qatar's American pilot Jay Price clinched maximum points ahead of team partner Alex Carrella.

It was bitter disappointment for reigning World Champion Sami Selio as, after leading the race for 29 or the 35 laps his engine went silent opening the door for the Qatar duo. Conditions were ideal with a gentle breeze and hazy sunshine and although few boats retired, positions remained almost unchanged throughout.

France's Philippe Chiappe driving for Team CTIC China secured third place ahead of the two Team Sweden boats of Shaun Torrente and Jonas Andersson while Mad Croc's David Padovan filled 6th place. Nordic's Marit Stromoy chased Abu Dhabi Thani Al Qamzi thoughout but had to settle for 8th place behind the Arab boat and Francesco Cantando and Duarte Benavente rounded off the top ten.

It was a miserable day for Abu Dhabi's Ahmed Al Hameli as, after qualifying second on the grid was relegated to the back when his engine failed to start and when it did fire up he stopped on lap 20.